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Thursday, April 23, 2026 ~ Volume 138 ~ Issue Number 23 ~ $1.00
County Legislature Debates Kratom Ban By Madison Warren At Tuesday’s General Meeting of the Suffolk County Legislature, officials heard lengthy testimony during a public discussion on what should be done regarding a proposed ban on Kratom. More than fifty speakers came forward to share how the ban would impact them, offering both support and opposition. The legislative discussion follows Nassau County’s recent prohibition on the sale and distribution of Kratom, which removed products from store shelves and imposed penalties on businesses that continue to sell it. The Legislation, I.R.1279, sponsored by Deputy Presiding Officer Jim Mazzarella (R-Moriches) and co-sponsored by Legislators Leslie Kennedy (R-Nesconset), RJ Renna (R-Lindenhurst), Chad Lennon (C-Rocky Point), and Jason Richberg (D-West Babylon), would ban the sale and distribution of Kratom in Suffolk County. Continued on page 5
A Kratom plant (Credit - Designed by Freepik)
Salvadoran National Faces Weapons Charges in Psych Center Incident By Matt Meduri A twenty-four-year-old Salvadoran national is facing multiple weapons charges after being found with a loaded firearm in Nissequogue State Park. According to a press release from Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney’s (R) office, Miguel Enrique Astudillo Ruiz was observed by Smithtown Park Rangers on April 4 near an abandoned building in a restricted area of the Kings Park Psychiatric Center. The investigation states that rangers allegedly observed expended shell casings in the cupholder of a vehicle parked outside the abandoned facility, while Ruiz was allegedly seen near the vehicle collecting scrap metal from the building. Continued on page 10
(Credit - Town of Smithtown)
FULL STORIES ON:
Earth Day Recycling Smithtown Elementary Library Trustee to Event Breaks Records Celebrates 75 Years Run for Tax Receiver Page 10
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